As a cash depositing and dispensing machine used in financial institutions, etc., a coin processing unit for processing coins and coin-rolls, each of which is wrapped coins formed by stacking and wrapping a predetermined number of coins, has been conventionally used.
In the coin processing unit, coins put in a machine body are received and recognized in a coin receiving and processing unit, and coins recognized as normal coins are escrowed in a depositing escrow unit (escrow unit) and stored in denomination-specific coin storing and feeding units by storage operation. Coins stored in the coin storing and feeding unit can be fed one by one and used for dispensing. Additionally, coins fed one by one from the coin storing and feeding unit are formed into a coin-roll by being fed to a wrapping unit arranged in the machine body and stacked and wrapped in a predetermined number, and the coin-roll can be stored in a coin-roll storing and sending unit arranged in the machine body, and fed and dispensed from the coin-roll storing and sending unit.
In such coin processing units, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-228080, the coin receiving and processing unit is arranged in an upper region in the machine body, the depositing escrow unit is arranged under the coin receiving and processing unit, the coin storing and feeding unit is arranged under the depositing escrow unit, the wrapping unit is arranged aside of the coin storing and feeding unit, and the coin-roll storing and sending unit is arranged above the wrapping unit. That is, in a lower region of the machine body, the coin storing and feeding unit and the wrapping unit are arranged side by side in a width direction of the machine body when viewed from a front face side of the machine body.
On the other hand, the coin processing unit is relatively large in its width direction, thereby causing one reason for hindering the introduction thereof in a small scale financial institution, etc. Therefore, a coin processing unit has been required which has a relatively small size in its width direction.
However, it is difficult to downsize the machine body of the conventional coin processing unit in its width direct ion, because the wrapping unit is required to have a size in the width direction relatively larger than those of the coin storing and feeding unit and the coin-roll storing and sending unit and thus the wrapping unit and the coin storing and feeding unit are arranged side by side in the width direction of the machine body.
Additionally, since the wrapping unit and the coin storing and feeding unit are arranged side by side in the width direction of the machine body, in order to send coins in the coin storing and feeding unit to the wrapping unit, some kind of route for transporting coins in the coin storing and feeding unit upward and sending them to the wrapping unit is required, and therefore downsizing of the machine body in its width direction is hindered.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problem, and it is a first object of the present invention to provide a coin processing unit having a machine body small in its width direction.
Additionally, in the conventional coin processing unit for dispensing coins, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-228080, at the time of dispensing coins, coins for dispensing are fed from denomination-specific coin storing and feeding units storing coins of dispensing denominations, sent by a transport unit to a dispensing escrow unit (transport box) to be escrowed therein, the dispensing escrow unit is moved to a dispensing box (loose coins dispensing box) after receiving the coins for dispensing by the dispensing escrow unit, the coins in the dispensing escrow unit are ejected to the dispensing box, the dispensing box is detached from the machine body, and the coins are taken out from the dispensing box. Additionally, at the time of collecting coins from the coin storing and feeding unit, coins are fed from the coin storing and feeding unit in a state where a bottom plate of the dispensing escrow unit is opened, and the fed coins are sent by the transfer unit to the dispensing escrow unit and made to pass through the dispensing escrow unit to be collected in the collection unit.
However, the conventional coin processing unit is large in size and increases the cost, because a dispensing escrow unit, a moving mechanism for moving the dispensing escrow unit and a space for movement of the dispensing escrow unit are required for sending coins in the coin storing and feeding unit to the dispensing box at the time of dispensing coins.
Further, an abnormal coin such as a coin of a different denomination has the possibility of being sent to the dispensing box and dispensed when being mixed in coins for dispensing due to, for example, storage of the coin in the coin storing and feeding unit.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problem, and it is a second object of the present invention to provide a coin processing unit which can realize downsizing and cost reduction, shorten the processing time for dispensing coins, and prevent the dispensing box containing an abnormal coin from being taken out.